


FEBRUARY

by Anne_Carter



Series: A Year In The Life [9]
Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Gen, Violence (mostly implied)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-15
Updated: 2018-04-15
Packaged: 2019-04-23 07:53:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,744
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14327985
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anne_Carter/pseuds/Anne_Carter
Summary: “If worse comes to worse, I’ll rip that witch’s head from her shoulders!  Then I’ll gut Heyman like a trout!” Alicia hissed.  “That ought to buy Roman enough time for them to grab the kids and run.”  The scary part was that Xavier wasn’t sure Alicia was just blowing off steam.Baby gets named.  Both Sasha & Seth gets a surprise on Valentine's Day.  A McMahon confrontation.  Back to Court.





	FEBRUARY

**Author's Note:**

> There is some implied violence in this story. Nothing graphic; mostly left to the readers' imagination; but you've been warned. As always feedback and comments are welcome!

“Cubicle 3, Wyatt.”

Bray Wyatt smiled at the guard in acknowledgement. He noted other prisoners in other cubicles either waiting for their visitors or talking with them. He noted the man sitting in Cubicle 6 and the woman sitting on the other side of the shatterproof glass. ‘Franklin’s wife is here again. That reunion shouldn’t last long.’

When he reached Cubicle 3, he sat in the chair and reached for the phone. “Sister Nikki, how have you been?”

“I’m well, Brother Bray,” Nikki Cross slowly smiled. “I have a job now. At a salon.”

“You...style hair?” Bracy chuckled.

Nikki shook her head. “I help out with the clients checking in and cleaning up.”

Hearing an angry raised voice from Cubicle 6, Bray was aware of the guards moving towards the disturbance. He lowered his voice, “You have met this woman?”

Nikki nodded. “Her name is Catherine. I help her check in the clients sometimes. She speaks often of her little boy and how she’s going to get him back.”

“Does she?” Bray’s eyes crinkled in genuine amusement. “Does she say why he’s not with her now?”

“Her husband. She blames him.”

Bray heard Franklin curse at the guards as he was pulled to his feet. “Become her best friend, Sister Nikki,” he quietly ordered. “Her husband brags about what he did to their little boy and how he’s going to profit from it. But this woman is just as guilty and harmed that boy just as much. A mother should never have allowed that to happen.”

Nikki solemnly nodded.

Aware of the guard’s return, Bray raised his voice slightly. “I’m glad you’ve got this job. Work hard and show them you deserve this chance. And take care of yourself. You must eat properly. Remember that.”

“I will, Brother Bray,” Nikki promised, aware of the guard’s glances in their direction.

“Go now so you don’t miss the bus,” Bray urged. “Thank you for coming to see me so often.” As Nikki walked away and he hung up the phone, he sang under his breath. _‘He’s got the whole world in His hands…’_

 

A.J. Styles smiled at the young woman who greeted him in the entrance of _Le Monde Bistro_. “Hi, there. I need to speak to someone about making a reservation for the evening of the 11th. About 7pm.”

“Just a moment, and I’ll get our Reservation Manager.”

Styles nodded, looking around the restaurant. The reviews about the place had been good, and he needed someplace different to take his wife for their anniversary. His eyes paused, seeing a familiar face at one of the tables. He blinked and looked again. Le Monde Bistro didn’t seem like the place that Paul Heyman would pick to have lunch. _‘Maybe the other guy chose it. And he looks familiar, too.’_

“You wished a reservation for the 11th?”

Styles turned around to see a middle-aged man holding a large book. “Yeah, the 11th. Our anniversary so maybe I could reserve a table that’s kind of secluded?”

The man nodded and opened the book. “We have secluded areas for just such occasions.”

Styles glanced back at Heyman’s table then put his attention on reserving a table for his anniversary. Once that was completed, he walked back outside and automatically pulled out his phone. Thinking for a few seconds, he called Xavier. 

“Hey, boss, I just saw Heyman at _Le Monde Bistro_ having lunch with some guy that looked familiar,” Styles explained. “I think he’s a lawyer. Tall. Red Haired. Big nose. Looks like he was offended by the very air he was breathing.”

Xavier Woods snorted. “Sounds like William Regal. Did he have a British accent?”

“No idea. I didn’t get that close.” Styles reached his truck and leaned against the side. “Who’s William Regal?”

“You’re right that he’s an attorney. Has a lot of high-end wealthy clients who appreciate subtlety and discretion.” Xavier frowned for a moment. “He and Heyman don’t really have any clients in common that I know about.”

Styles shrugged. “Just wonderin’. I’ll check in later.”

Xavier hung up the phone and leaned back in his chair. Both Regal and Heyman had the same type of reputation. Ruthless. Competitive. Win at all costs. He honestly didn’t see how they could co-exist.

 

“I thought we’d go get Valentine’s Day cards for you both to start on and then make a stop at the Yogurt Shop. How about that?” Bayley Reigns smiled down at her sons who each held one of her hands in theirs.

“Can I get sprinkles?” Dean eagerly asked as he skipped next to her.

“Sure,” Bayley nodded.

“Mommy, I want mine in a cup this time,” Seth announced.

“That’s fine, honey.” Bayley patiently waited until the crossing guard stopped traffic. With other children and parents, they crossed to the parking lot.

One man’s blue eyes narrowed as he watched Bayley and her sons approach their car. Then they widened as he realized Bayley was pregnant. He carefully turned and walked towards the back of his car, staying out of the line of Bayley’s sight. It was only when Bayley drove away that he began walking towards the elementary school.

He walked in side and made his way to the cafeteria. He approached the entrance and provided his identification. “I’m here to pick up Randall and Kevin Helmsley.”

The older woman scanned her list and checked his identification. “Yes, Mr. Kane. Mrs. Helmsley called and advised you would be picking up the boys. I’ll have them brought out.”

“Thank you,” Kane politely answered.

Minutes later, Randy and Kevin walked out of the cafeteria. Kane was amused at the expressions on their faces when they saw them.

“Where’s Mother?” Kevin demanded.

“Your parents were called to a meeting and requested that I pick the two of you up and take you home. They weren’t going to get out of the meeting in time to get here. They’ll see you at home,” Kane explained. “Let’s go.”

As they walked down the hall, Kane’s eyes briefly met the blue eyes of a shorter man who waved at Randy and Kevin as he passed. “Who was that?”

“Mr. Bryan. The principal,” Randy answered.

Kane grunted. He would never have guessed.

When they reached their house, Randy and Kevin ran inside. They quickly greeted their Mother, then headed for the kitchen for a snack.

“Any problems?” Stephanie McMahon Helmsley asked as Kane followed the boys inside.

“None,” Kane assured her. “But I need to talk with you and Hunter about something I saw.”

Stephanie looked puzzled for a few seconds but nodded. The two walked to Hunter’s office where Stephanie lightly tapped on the open door. When Hunter looked up, he smiled and motioned them to enter.

“Kane needs to talk with us,” Stephanie explained.

“About the boys?” Hunter’s eyes narrowed.

“No,” Kane assured him. “But while I was waiting in the parking lot, I saw Bayley coming out with her two boys.” He saw Stephanie roll her eyes. “Bayley’s pregnant.”

Stephanie and Hunter exchanged a quick look.

“Pregnant? Are you sure?” Stephanie demanded. “How pregnant?”

Kane looked uncertain. He slowly held both hands out in front of his stomach. “This pregnant?”

“Maybe seven or eight months,” Stephanie muttered.

“Did she see you?” Hunter asked. 

“No, I was parked some distance away,” Kane assured him.

“Thanks, Kane. We appreciate the news.” Hunter stared at Stephanie again.

Kane nodded and left the room, closing the office door behind him.

“Well, that changes things,” Hunter finally spoke. “No matter what happens with Dean, there’s no way in hell that Roman’s walking about from a pregnant wife and newborn child.”

“No, he wouldn’t,” Stephanie admitted. She thought for a few moments. “At least not in the beginning.”

Hunter raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair.

“This whole process is bound to put a strain on their marriage,” Stephanie mused. “Cracks will form. And then the stress of a newborn…” She stared out the window into the garden.

“You know what kind of woman Dean’s birth mother is,” Hunter reminded her.

“Oh, please.” Stephanie turned to face him. “No judge is going to give a child to her.”

Hunter shrugged. “We’ve seen Heyman in action. He just might pull it off.”

Stephanie ruefully nodded. Her attention was directed towards her cellphone which buzzed. She read the message and smiled. “Dad’s meeting with William. Mom’s involved with a charity event so he wants us to join him.”

“You go.” Hunter sat back up in his chair. “I want to go over these contracts again. Jarrett’s a slippery weasel, and I want to be absolutely sure there’s no wiggleroom for him.”

 

“It was great seeing you again, Punk.”

The dark-haired man grinned. “Been a long time since anybody’s call me that, **Kid**.”

“Been a long time since anybody’s called **me** that.” The blonde-haired man laughed. He waved his hand in protest as Punk got to his feet and pulled out his wallet. “This is on me. For old times’ sake.”

Punk tossed some bills onto the table. “Throw it on the tip,” he chuckled. 

The other man stood and held out his arms. “Have a safe trip home.”

Punk hugged the older man. “You’re looking great. What you’re doing really agrees with you.”

“Thanks.” The older man watched his friend walk away for a few seconds then sat back down. A minute later, the waitress appeared with a large slice of cherry pie and more coffee. He’d just started to eat when he heard a familiar voice in the next booth…a very familiar voice.

“William!” Stephanie hugged the British attorney.

“Stephanie, how wonderful to see you again. Mr. McMahon.” William shook Vince’s hand and motioned for them to sit down.

“Interesting choice of dining establishments,” Vince commented.

William shrugged. “The food is actually quite good even if the ambiance is atrocious. Besides, I seriously doubt anyone would expect to see us here.” He saw the waitress approaching. “I do recommend the coffee. Their pie selections are limited, but very good.”

They chatted until their order was delivered. Vince stared at his slice of peach pie and carefully took a small bite. He chuckled. “You quite right, William. This is very good.”

William smiled with delight. “Now, I had a meeting with Mr. Heyman earlier. The matter has been placed before a judge.” He sighed. “Unfortunately, the judge is question is not one open to…negotiations.”

“I doubt that,” Vince said. “Who is he?”

“John Cena.”

Stephanie threw her napkin onto the table. “He wouldn’t negotiate if his life depended on it,” she muttered.

Vince sourly agreed.

“Judge Cena ruled there would be no direct testimony. He would review the evidence presented to him and rule on the validity of the adoption based on those facts,” William continued. “Mr. Heyman doesn’t expect another court appearance for another few weeks or perhaps not even until next month. He also instituted a No Contact Order preventing either side from contacting the other.”

Vince grimaced. “And if the adoption is held as valid, that’s it, isn’t it?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” William nodded. “However, that doesn’t mean the stress of the situation is gone for now. As long as there’s a chance the adoption will be either vacated or reversed, the unknown creates quite a level of stress.”

“Dad, I found out just before I left to meet you that Bayley’s pregnant,” Stephanie said. “I didn’t see her myself, but from I’m told, she’s probably around seven or eight months pregnant.”

“Mr. Heyman didn’t mention that,” William frowned.

Stephanie shrugged. “He probably doesn’t know that we haven’t been in contact.”

“Stress wouldn’t be good for my daughter in her condition,” Vince acknowledged. “So it’s probably best there’s a No Contact Order in effect.” He looked at William. “Tell Mr. Heyman to continue but to be careful about undue stress on my daughter.”

“Yes, sir.”

In the next booth, Shawn Michaels closed his eyes. He’d lost touch with the man he called his best friend but said best friend’s wife and father-in-law were up to their old tricks and it didn’t sound good. He remembered that Bayley’s older son was adopted although why Stephanie and Vince were wanting that adoption reversed was beyond him.

As the people at the next booth prepared to leave, he turned slightly in the seat so they didn’t see his face. He pulled out his cellphone and opened the text app. He clicked on a particular number that he’d never deleted and texted, _‘We need to talk. Soon._ ’

 

Alicia Fox looked up as the office door opened. Then her eyes widened. “Roman?”

Roman Reigns smiled as he gently closed the door behind him. “Hi, Alicia. Is Xavier available?”

“He’s doing some research right now. Can I help with anything?”

Roman looked away for a few seconds then back at her. “I need to know the details when Dean was removed from his parents.”

Alicia’s eyes widened. “No, Roman. You don’t need to know any of that.”

“He has nightmares, Alicia. Bad nightmares.” Roman sighed. “I **need** to know.”

Alicia sighed then pointed to a chair. “Let me see if he…” She stopped as the office door opened again.

Styles closed the door and smiled at Roman. “Hey, man. Good to see you.” Then he frowned. “Or is it? Something happened?”

“Roman’s wanting to know about Dean when he was removed from **them**.” Alicia twisted her hands together. “Xavier’s been holed up in his office doing research.” She leaned closer to Styles and hissed, “I told him he doesn’t need to know.”

Styles sadly smiled. “He’s a father, Alicia,” he quietly answered. “Of course, he wants to know.” He turned to Roman. “Come with me. I’ll tell you what you need to know.” He patted Alicia on the arm, then led Roman down the hallway to his small office. He closed the door behind them and motioned to a nearby chair. “You gotta understand, Roman. It’s horribly bad.”

“It might help with Dean’s nightmares,” Roman explained. “And…and I need to know what was done to my son. It doesn’t matter that he’s adopted. He’s **my son**. And it can’t be worse that anything I’ve already imagined.”

_‘Don’t be so sure about that.’_ Styles nodded in understanding. “Here’s what we know. Jerry and Catherine Ambrose were drug dealers and users. They sold pills, crack, heroin, meth, cocaine…pretty much anything anybody wanted. Jerry Ambrose was known to use both crack and meth. Catherine Ambrose was known to use pills and cocaine. Both were also fairly heavy drinkers.”

He leaned back in his chair. “Vice had them under surveillance as part of a larger investigation. Then they realized there was a baby in that apartment. So they decided to move up their timetable in order to get the baby out of that place. They brought in an investigator from the Special Victims Unit when they made the bust.”

Roman silently nodded.

“In statements after the arrest, both Ambroses claimed that Dean cried all the time,” Styles recalled. “They used that as their excuse.”

Roman’s grey eyes widened. “He…Dean always says he’s ‘not crying’ whenever he sheds a tear. The only time he hasn’t said it is when he’s completely broken down.” He took a deep breath. “There’s more, isn’t there? An excuse for what? What did they do?”

Styles sadly nodded. “Both the Ambroses were on drugs at the time. She was on cocaine, and he was on crack. Apparently, the entire apartment was a junkie’s paradise. They weren’t sure about the source of their money to have all of it, but Vice knew the Ambroses were dealers as well.” He took a deep breath.

“They found Dean in his crib. At first, they thought he was asleep, but they quickly realized he was unconscious and immediately took him to the hospital. The SVU investigator grabbed the bottle that was in the crib with him.” Styles grimaced. “Dean was malnourished, dehydrated, filthy. Apparently, whatever money they had was going to support their habits and not feeding Dean.” He heard muffled cry from Roman and continued.

“The contents of the bottle were analyzed. The milk had been mixed with some whiskey, and there was a small amount of a crushed sleeping pill in the milk as well. He was hospitalized for a while until he was taken to the Children’s Center.” Styles stood and walked to where Roman was hunched over in his chair, head buried in his hands. He reminded Styles of someone who’d taken a hard body blow.

Kneeling next to Roman, he gently put a hand on his arm. “The SVU investigator told me the doctors weren’t sure Dean would survive. But he did. They weren’t sure he’d be ‘right’ in the head. But that kid’s more than ‘right’. That boy was born strong, and he’s stayed strong. And you and Bayley have given him the best possible life and kept him strong. Don’t think about the past that’s so bad, Roman. Think of the good times you’ve had with Dean, and the good times you’re going to have. Because nobody is gonna stop fighting for Dean and your family.”

He squeezed Roman’s arm and stood. “Stay here as long as you want.” He quietly opened the office door then shut it behind him as he heard Roman begin to sob. He walked down the hall to the reception area.

Alicia anxiously looked at him, but Styles just waved at her and walked outside. He was back in ten minutes with cups of coffee for himself, Alicia, and Xavier. He set them on the corner of Alicia’s desk then tapped on Xavier’s door. He opened it and quietly spoke. “We need you out here, boss.”

Xavier immediately walked to the reception area and accepted the coffee Styles handed to him. “What’s going on?”

“Roman’s here,” Styles softly explained. “He needed to know about Dean.”

“Aww…” Xavier leaned against Alicia’s desk. “How did he take it?”

“Like he just realized he could have lost his son before he ever had him.”

They heard the door to Styles’ office open and quietly close. Roman walked into the reception area and stood silent for a moment. His eyes were red, but he took a deep breath and calmly spoke.

“Thank you,” he finally said to Styles who silently nodded. Then he looked at Xavier. “If the judge rules the adoption invalid, can we keep Dean as a foster child until we go through the adoption process again?”

“Yes, but…Roman, I honestly don’t see how the judge can rule the adoption invalid.” Xavier set his cup down on Alicia’s desk. He ignored her frown as she slid a coaster under it. “With Judge Cena on the bench, he’s going to rule on the evidence we’ve presented. Heyman could make the case she was going through withdrawal. But she asked Jericho specific questions about what waiving her parental rights for Dean’s adoption meant. She wasn’t dazed or confused.”

“And she wanted to know if it would help her at her trial,” Alicia spat.

“She clearly knew what she was doing, and that’s the only issue before the Court,” Xavier explained. “Judge Cena made that perfectly clear.” He saw the haunted look in Roman’s eyes. “But, just in case, I’m preparing just such a motion. When we get the new Court date, I’ll make sure Jericho is there. You make sure Dr. Kingston is there. We’ll be able to show that it’s in Dean’s best interests to remain with you while we go through the adoption process again.”

Roman nodded and relaxed. “He’s been through so much, I just…don’t want him scared or hurt…or suddenly taken away…”

“I told you, Roman. That boy was born strong. You and Bayley have helped him stay strong.” Styles grinned. “I want to protect my kids, too. So I know what you’re feelin’. But you’re not alone in this. Dean’s not alone in this. Hell, even the SVU investigator said he’d come to Court if it would help.”

“Go home, Roman. Enjoy your family. Plan for the new baby,” Xavier urged. “Don’t worry.”

“Thank you. All of you.”

“You okay to drive?” Styles asked.

“Yeah.” Roman rubbed his eyes. “I’ll pull over if I can’t.”

“That happens, you call me.”

Roman nodded. “Thanks again.”

They watched as Roman left the office and walked towards the parking lot.

“If worse comes to worse, I’ll rip that witch’s head from her shoulders! Then I’ll gut Heyman like a trout!” Alicia hissed. “That ought to buy Roman enough time for them to grab the kids and run.”

The scary part was that Xavier wasn’t sure Alicia was just blowing off steam.

 

“So, the furniture is going to be delivered next Wednesday morning,” Bayley explained. “You’ll be able to see it when you get home from school.”

Bayley sat on the couch with Dean on her left and Seth on her right. Dean leaned against her arm staring at the picture on her phone of the baby’s bed. Seth sat curled up against his Mommy with one hand resting on her tummy.

“It really is yellow,” Dean commented.

“Told you!” Seth grinned. “It’s **so** pretty!”

Dean peeked up at his Mommy but didn’t comment. “Do we still get to help dec’rate?”

“Sure do,” Bayley cheerfully nodded. “I was thinking we could do one wall as a mural. Clouds. A rainbow. Flowers. Birds. Make it seem really like springtime.”

Seth felt the baby kick his hand and slowly pulled it away. It always happened when he touched his Mommy’s tummy. The baby kicked him. Kicked him **hard**.

Bayley looked down at Seth who started to hiccup. “Seth? Honey?” Just then she heard the garage door opening.

Seth began crying causing Dean to look at him in surprise. He was even more surprised when Seth jumped off the couch and ran to their Daddy.

“ **DADDY!** ”

Roman looked down in shock as Seth ran to him and wrapped himself around one of Roman’s legs. Automatically, he reached down and picked up his younger son who buried his face into Roman’s shoulder. “Seth? Buddy? What’s wrong?”

“ **THE BABY HATES ME!** ”

“What?” Roman looked in confusion at Bayley and Dean who’d joined them in the kitchen. Dean looked as confused as his parents.

“Seth, what do you mean the baby hates you? How could she hate you?” Roman slowly rocked back and forth with Seth in his arms.

Seth hiccupped and cried harder.

Roman sighed and walked towards the living room. “What happened?” he asked Bayley.

“I don’t know,” Bayley replied as she sat back down on the couch. “We were talking about the furniture being delivered next week and decorating one of the walls in the baby’s room.”

“Maybe Seth didn’t like the idea of rainbows and flowers?” Dean guessed as he crawled up onto the couch next to his Mommy.

“Okay, Seth, come on. Sit up and tell me what’s wrong.” Roman gently helped Seth sit in his lap.

“Ev’ry time, Daddy.” *hiccup* “Ev’ry time! Baby kicks me when I…” *hiccup* “…touch Mommy’s tummy….and…” *hiccup* “… **the baby hates me!** ” Sobbing, he threw himself against his Daddy’s chest.

********

****

Roman grunted at the impact, then gently removed Seth’s glasses before they got broken. “No, buddy, the baby doesn’t hate you.”

“She kicks me!”

“Oh, honey, she’s kicking because she’s moving and stretching,” Bayley explained, rubbing his back. “It’s not because she hates you.”

Seth sat up again and rubbed his eyes. “Baby loves me?”

“Of course, baby loves you,” Bayley smiled. 

“Maybe she’s just saying ‘hi’?” Dean guessed, scrunching up his nose.

“Could be,” Roman chuckled. He replaced Seth’s glasses and kissed him on the forehead.

Bayley took a good look at her husband and squeezed his arm. “You okay?” she quietly asked.

Roman nodded. “Just a long day. Rough afternoon.” He slid an arm around her shoulders. “Just glad to be home with you and our boys.”

“And baby, too,” Seth tearily added.

“And baby, too,” Roman agreed.

“Mommy, what’s the baby’s name?” Dean asked.

“Well, we haven’t decided,” Bayley admitted. “How about you and Seth think about some names, and we’ll talk about it after dinner tomorrow?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Roman stood with Seth in his arms. “C’mon, Seth. Let’s get your face washed, okay?”

Seth nodded and wrapped his arms around his Daddy’s neck.

Dean patted his Mommy’s arm. “Seth didn’t know, Mommy. He’s just four and still kinda little.” But he looked down the hallway just to make sure his brother hadn’t heard his words.

 

Bray Wyatt occupied one corner of the prison exercise yard, surrounded by his brothers. They would only stand still for a short amount of time, not wanting to attract the attention of either the guards or the other prisoners.

“Sister Nikki has made contact with this woman…Catherine,” Bray quietly spoke. “She talks of getting her little boy back.”

“The one she nearly killed.” Braun Strowman growled. Taller than his brothers, he warily watched the others around them.

“She **and** her husband,” Luke Harper reminded them. “He brags he’ll get money from one of the lawyers for telling them anything they want to hear.”

Bray nodded. “He is a man without honor or conscience. He admitted to giving the baby whiskey and hitting him.”

“Why didn’t they give the baby to someone who would care for him?” Erick Rowan was truly confused by the idea of someone mistreating a baby.

“Blackness of their souls, Brother Rowan. Blackness of their souls.” Bray stood quietly for a few moments then began walking. Followed by his brothers, Bray wandered around the exercise yard until he came to where some men were working with weights. He glanced at Braun then at the weights.

Braun walked over and began working with some of the weights. Rowan stood with him, silently watching. Bray and Harper stood to one side. After a few moments, Bray turned his head and spoke.

“Mr. Lesnar, may I have a few moments of your time?”

Brock Lesnar was known around the prison as “The Beast”. He owned much of the prison’s population simply through fear. However, Bray was someone who continually slipped through his fingers. Not that he cared. Bray had nothing he wanted and was no threat to him.

“What about?” Lesnar quietly answered.

“A matter of mutual benefit,” Bray replied. “I believe the guards confiscated some contraband recently.”

Lesnar shrugged. “So? Nothing to me.”

“Of course not,” Bray smiled. “Yet, the idea that someone betrayed the owner of the contraband is disconcerting, is it not?”

Lesnar scowled. “Come to the point.”

“A rat threatens us all,” Bray continued. “If the rat squealed information once, what’s to prevent him from squealing again? And how much trouble could this rat cause once his identity is known? Everyone around him would become suspected as rats.”

Lesnar’s ice-blue eyes met Bray’s twinkling blue eyes. “I don’t like games.”

Bray chuckled. “Says the man who plays his own game.”

Lesnar grunted. “What do you want?”

“I give you the rat’s name. I don’t expect you to trust me. But I’m sure a man of your…capabilities can get the truth from him.” Bray watched Strowman lift even more weights. “In return, you don’t move on him until I give the word.”

Lesnar chuckled. “You want me to provide you with a diversion.”

Bray smiled. “Let’s just say, you get rid of a rat and prevent any unnecessary unpleasantness; and I get rid of a varmint.” He glanced around the exercise yard. “There are so many men here with grudges against another. A simple diversion would be in your interest as well.”

“How long?” Lesnar demanded.

“No more than two weeks,” Bray admitted. “I need time to determine his movements…when he will be vulnerable.” He shrugged. “Maybe sooner.”

Lesnar silently nodded.

Bray turned and smiled at Strowman. “Impressive, Brother Strowman. Very impressive.”

 

Charlotte Flair noticed Dean and Seth quietly talking to each other as they came in from the playground. They both glanced at her, and then Seth nudged his brother. Dean glared at his younger brother but began walking towards Charlotte desk. Seth followed a few steps behind him.

“Miss Flair?” Dean glanced at his brother then continued. “Umm…we were wondering if you could help us?”

“Sure, Dean. With what?” Charlotte smiled.

“Well, Mommy’s going have a baby…” Dean began.

“A sister!” Seth interrupted.

“Yeah…and we get to help pick names for her,” Dean continued. “But we need help spelling them.”

“Ahhh,” Charlotte nodded. “Well, how about I help you both during personal time?”

“Thank you, Miss Flair!” Seth beamed.

Personal time was when the children could quietly do as they wished. Some practiced their letters and numbers while other read while other fed the fish in the tank in the back of the room or worked on drawings or paintings.

During personal time, Charlotte knelt by Dean’s desk. “Okay, Dean, what names have you selected?”

Dean told her the names, then carefully wrote them on slips of paper as she spelled them.

“Those are very pretty names,” she said as she stood.

“Thank you, Miss Flair.” Dean grinned up at her. He watched as she walked to Seth’s desk and knelt next to him. She looked surprised when Seth apparently gave her the first name but began spelling it. When she stood, she smiled at him and Seth laughed.

Dean shrugged. Seth’s names couldn’t be better than his.

 

Roman was amused at how excited both of his sons were to finish dinner. He’d had to tell them to settle down more than once. 

“Okay, if you’re done, get your names,” Bayley finally laughed.

Both boys jumped down from their chairs and ran to the living room where their backpacks sat next to the couch.

“Be afraid,” Roman murmured as he and Bayley took the dirty plates to the dishwasher. “Be very afraid.”

Bayley snickered as the boys ran back into the kitchen and climbed onto their chairs. Both clutched slips of paper in their hands.

“We ready!” Seth proclaimed.

Roman and Bayley exchanged an amused look and returned to their seats. “Okay, Seth. What’s your first name?” Bayley asked.

“It’s from a song we learned in school.” He saw Dean’s eyes widen in surprise. He looked down at the strips of paper and pushed one towards the center of the table. “Bonnie.” He took a deep breath and began to sing. “My Bonnie lies over the ocean. My Bonnie lies over the seeeee. My Bonnie lies over the ocean. Oh, bring back my Bonnie to meeeee.”

“Very good, Seth!” Roman grinned. “Okay, we have Bonnie.” He noticed that Dean looked relieved. “Your turn, Dean.”

“It’s a song, too.” Dean carefully pushed a slip of paper towards Seth’s. “You are my Sunshine, my only Sunshine. You make me happeee when skies are grey. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you….and I forget the rest.” He shrugged. “Sunshine.”

“Oh, Dean, how sweet,” Bayley smiled. “Good job.”

Dean smiled in relief.

“My turn! I picked April ‘cause baby gonna be born then.” Seth shoved a strip of paper forward.

“Pretty name,” Bayley agreed. She grinned at Dean. “What about you?”

“Becky. ‘Cause of Aunt Becky.” Dean slowly slid his paper forward.

“That’s really nice of you, Dean,” Roman complimented. He knew Dean had formed an attachment with his red-haired Aunt over their hair color.

“My turn!”

“Wait, Seth, you went first the last couple of times. Let Dean go first,” Roman suggested.

Seth shrugged.

“Umm…Joy. ‘Cause it’s like happy but I didn’t think happy was a good name.” Dean looked at his parents.

“I like Joy much better than Happy,” Bayley admitted with a grin. “Okay, Seth, what’s your last choice?”

Seth proudly slid the paper to the middle of the table. “Sasha Esmerelda!”

Silence.

“Really?” Roman finally spoke. 

Dean’s eyes were almost comically wide.

“Yep!” Seth nodded his head.

“You must have put a lot of thought into that one, honey,” Bayley complimented him.

“Well, you’ve come up with some very good names,” Roman quickly spoke. “We’re proud of you. But we can only pick two.”

Dean frowned and started to point out that Seth’s last choice **was** two names. But his Mommy spoke up.

“I think we should leave out the names with songs,” she slowly said. “Sometimes, people get teased if there’s a song with their name in it. But those songs could be your own lullabies to the baby. How about that?”

Dean grinned. “I like that, Mommy.”

“Okay,” Seth agreeably nodded.

Roman removed two strips of paper.

“And I think it’s really great that you want to use Aunt Sasha and Aunt Becky’s names,” Bayley continued. “But Aunt Sasha may have a little girl of her own one day and want to use that name. And Becky’s real name is Rebecca, and that’s part of Paige’s name.”

“You know…” Roman played with the strips of paper. “I really like April Joy. It’s simple. It’s pretty. And you both chose one of the names.”

“April Joy. April Joy,” Seth sing-songed.

Dean mouthed the names, then nodded with a grin. “I like it, too.”

“Me, too!” Seth added.

“Then the baby is officially April Joy Reigns.” Roman held out a hand to each of the boys. When they put their hands in his, he gently squeezed them. “And she’s awfully lucky to have you both as her older brothers.”

Dean’s grin widened as Seth nodded. “She sure is,” he pronounced.

 

Dean was of the opinion that Valentine’s Day was a lot of hard work. He had to print his name on every card given to the other Dolphins, extras to his Flamingo friends, and the really nice ones for Ms. Flair, Mr. Bryan, and Mr. Mercury. Then there were the really really **REALLY** nice ones for his Mommy, Daddy, and Aunt Sasha.

It didn’t help that Seth finished his cards a lot faster.

But he had to admit it was fun passing them out. Mommy and Daddy got theirs at breakfast, both of them looking very surprised and pleased. Then at school, Mr. Bryan and Mr. Mercury got theirs as they walked into the school. During personal time, the Dolphins ran around their room putting cards into the bags taped to everyone’s desk. Except for Ms. Flair who kept hers on her desk. Then they and the Flamingos were allowed to exchange their cards for those who had friends in the other classroom.

But, in Dean’s opinion, the best part of the day came when they were waiting in the lunchroom for their Mommy. All the students who weren’t on buses were taken to the lunchroom where their parents would meet them. The children milled around, excitedly talking. Dean saw his Mommy and Enzo’s uncle walk into the lunchroom and waved to get their attention. He’d turned to tell Seth their Mommy was here when it happened.

“Seth, thank you for my Valentine.” Alexa Bliss widely smiled. Before Seth could reply, she kissed him on the cheek then ran back to where Asuka and Nia were sitting.

Enzo’s eyes were wider than anyone thought possible.

So were Seth’s. Then he hiccupped.

Dean began to snicker. His little brother looked stunned.

“She kissed you!” Enzo hissed.

Seth hiccupped, his dark eyes wide behind the lenses of his glasses.

Dean snickered again.

“Alexa! You kissed Seth!” Nia hissed.

Alexa calmly nodded. “I’m gonna marry Seth.”

Asuka smiled in approval. “Good choice.”

She and Nia speculatively stared at Enzo and Dean.

Enzo spotted his Uncle and ran towards him. “Uncle Cass! Alexa kissed Seth!” he hissed. “On the cheek!”

“Really?” Cass managed not to smile.

Bayley took a look at Seth’s stunned expression and sat down beside him. “Seth? Honey? What’s wrong?”

Seth stared up at his Mommy and hiccupped again.

“Alexa kissed him,” Dean gleefully explained. “And thanked him for the card he gave her.”

“Oh.” Bayley gently rubbed Seth’s back, feeling him starting to relax. “Did you get a kiss, Dean?”

Dean happily shook his head. “Nope!”

Bayley bit back a grin. “You’re okay with that?”

“Yep!”

 

“Shane McMahon.”

“Mr. McMahon, this is Xavier Woods. Thanks for agreeing to speak with me.” Xavier leaned back in his office chair and winced at the late afternoon sun coming in from the window.

“No problem but call me Shane. Mr. McMahon is my father.” Shane sat against the wall of the home gym set up in one corner of the basement.

“And I’m Xavier.” Xavier took a deep breath. “As you know, I’m Bayley and Roman’s attorney and handled Dean’s adoption. Right now, the petition to reverse or vacate the adoption is being reviewed by the Court. And while I’m very confident that decision will be in our favor, I’m preparing just in case it goes against us.”

“Sounds like a wise decision,” Shane admitted. “Bayley’s kept me pretty much up to date. How can we help?”

“We?”

Shane chuckled. “My wife, Becky, also stands with my sister’s family. And our two kids are ready to jump to Dean’s defense.”

Xavier smiled. “I’m glad Bayley’s got you and your family supporting her. What I need right now is some information and your opinion. I understand all of you had a joint vacation in Hawaii last August?”

“It came about because of how Dean found out he was adopted. I don’t know what Bayley told you about that, but our sister’s kids overheard some talk and threw it in Dean’s face rather crudely. Our parents thought that was perfectly okay and she cut them off. Completely. Absolutely no contact. Not even when Dean was hospitalized and had his appendix removed.”

Xavier nodded as he checked his notes. “Yeah, both Bayley and Roman went into detail about that incident. I gotta say, and nothing against you, but…well, that sucks.”

Shane laughed. “I agree. Anyway, it’s an awfully long trip from Florida to Australia and vice versa so we split the difference as best we could and met up in Hawaii for a week.”

“And your opinion, as objectively as possible, on Dean and how he’s integrated into the family?” Xavier asked.

“As objective as I can state it, Bayley and Roman are great parents,” Shane firmly answered. “They treat Dean and Seth equally. Which was the problem with our parents and sister. They treated Seth like a little Prince and Dean like something to be scraped off the soles of their shoes. Both boys are well adjusted, and neither Roman nor Bayley have a problem correcting them when needed. Both boys are well-behaved and very polite.” He snorted. “Better than mine are.”

“In your opinion, Dean has a good relationship with his parents and brother?”

“God, yes! Look, truth is, it would kill Dean to be taken away just like it would kill my sister, Roman, and Seth if someone takes Dean away.” Shane rubbed his forehead. “I don’t see how any of this is possible.”

Xavier doodled on a piece of paper. “I’m not a parent so I don’t know the lengths someone would go through to get their child back. But I don’t think I could ignore the fact that the child wouldn’t know me and has a secure loving family.” He hesitated. “Her choice of attorney is puzzling as well. Her attorney isn’t known for doing pro bono work, and there’s no way Dean’s birth mother can afford him.”

“Bayley said her case is based on claiming she wasn’t in possession of her faculties when she signed the paperwork giving up Dean,” Shane recalled.

“Yet, the videotape the case worker has clearly shows otherwise,” Xavier grunted. “Heyman had that before we went to Court. He’s got to know his case is exceptionally weak. And the judge that we luckily drew isn’t one to be swayed by Paul Heyman’s oratory.”

“Paul Heyman?” Shane frowned. “That name’s familiar.”

“How?”

Shane closed his eyes. “I’m not sure.”

“Do you know a William Regal?” Xavier asked.

Shane chuckled. “My parents’ attorney. He handles some business affairs my father doesn’t want the corporate attorneys involved with. And probably all of his personal legal matters as well. He also handles the legal work for my mother’s charities. And they’d earmarked him as a suitable husband for Bayley at one point. Why?”

“One of my associates saw Heyman having lunch with someone we’re almost certain is William Regal,” Xavier explained. “The legal profession here isn’t all that diverse so we all know who collaborates with who a lot of the time. As far as I’ve been able to determine, they’ve never collaborated.”

Shane got to his feet and walked upstairs to the home office he and Becky shared. _‘What am I not remembering?’_ “Let me have your number and email address. If I can think of anything else that might help, I’ll let you know.” He grabbed a pen and a piece of paper. “Go ahead.”

Xavier gave him the contact information. “Like I said. I’m very confident the decision will be in our favor. This is just a precaution.”

“Understood.” Shane stared down at the piece of paper. “We’re all behind Dean.”

“If, for some reason, the ruling goes against us, I’ll probably need you here at some point to testify on Bayley and Roman’s behalf. But for now, I think I’m good.”

“Just say the word, and I’ll be there,” Shane promised. His dark eyes kept going back to the paper with Xavier’s contact information. _‘Dammit, I know there’s something about Heyman that I’m not remembering!’_

 

Sasha loved Antonio Cesaro’s condo even if it seriously needed some splashes of color. The décor was simple yet modern with clean lines. But little color. Still, it hadn’t detracted from the delicious meal he’s provided for their dinner.

“I’m impressed,” Sasha admitted after dinner when they’d walked into the living room. She admired the view of the Gulf from the windows as the sun was setting in the west. “That was a fantastic meal.”

“Thank you,” Antonio smiled as he poured wine for both of them. “I enjoy cooking, but it doesn’t make sense to go to all that trouble for just one person.” He handed Sasha her glass of wine. “What do you think of the place?”

“It’s very…stark,” Sasha finally admitted.

Antonio laughed. “I’m sure the word you mean is ‘sterile’.” He glanced around the living room. “It’s a place to exist, not to live. And I’ve decided to live again and not just exist.” He saw Sasha’s puzzled look and indicated the nearby sofa. “I should explain.”

When they were seated, Antonio took a sip of wine then spoke. “As you know, I’m from Switzerland. I left my homeland when my world fell apart.” He turned to look at her. “I was married. To a wonderful woman named Sofia. Beautiful. Smart. Independent.” He patted Sasha’s hand. “It seems that’s the sort of woman who interests me.”

Sasha found herself chuckling. 

“We had a daughter. Gabriella. She loved to dance.”

Sasha saw the sadness in Antonio’s eyes and leaned forward.

“I got the professional opportunity of a lifetime,” Antonio continued. “But it required long hours of work and travel. Sofia understood. This opportunity would provide a good life for all of us and Gabriella with so many options. But…neither of us understood what that would cost.” He stood and walked towards the windows. “I wound up totally immersed in my work, leaving Sofia and Gabriella alone so much of the time. Sofia and I would argue about it. I couldn’t see that I was missing so much of my daughter’s life. She loved to dance yet I’d only seen part of one of her recitals. And Sofia needed me.”

He walked back to the couch and sat down. “There was one final argument. I accused her of not supporting me and my work which was all for them. She accused me of taking her and our child for granted and allowing my own ambition and ego to be more important than our family. We said…many hurtful things to each other.” Antonio sighed. “The end result is that Sofia filed for divorced and custody of Gabriella. We argued again…horribly. I stormed out of our home. Sofia packed some belongings for herself and Gabriella and was driving back to her parents’ home in Venice.” He took a deep breath. “They were both killed in a multi-automobile accident just before they reached the Italian border.”

“Oh my God,” Sasha breathed, her fingers tightening around the wineglass. 

Antonio took another drink. “I quit my job. Sold everything. And came to this country. I…I just couldn’t stay there. And once here, I again threw myself into my work. Then, recently, I told myself I needed to live. And that meant taking chances.”

“Our New Year’s Eve date,” Sasha guessed with a grin. She sat her glass on the nearby table.

Antonio smiled and nodded. “I admit, Sasha, that I was attracted to you from the moment Bayley introduced us. And I hope you understand it was quite a leap of faith for me to ask you to New York for the holiday.”

“I understand now.” Sasha wrapped her arms around Antonio and tightly hugged him. “Thank you for telling me about all this.”

Antonio closed his eyes in relief. “You should know.” He gently pulled back. “Because I’m about to take another leap of faith.”

Sasha’s dark eyes widened.

Antonio smiled. “We have only known each other for a couple of months. Yet the times we’ve spent together have been incredibly happy ones for me…and I hope for you.” When Sasha smiled and nodded, he continued. “I honestly never thought I could be happy again. But I am. And want to be.” He took a deep breath and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small ring box and pressed it into Sasha’s hand then closed her fingers around it. “I do not expect…or want…an answer right now. But I want you to be a part of my life, Sasha Banks. I would like…” He shook his head. “I **want** that to be as my wife, but that decision is in your hands. All I ask is that you think about it and let me know when you’ve made that decision.”

Sasha stared down at her closed hand with wide eyes.

 

Deeply involved in his work, Xavier was startled when an envelope was thrown onto his desk. 

“It’s here,” Alicia snarled.

Xavier looked at the envelope as thought it were a coiled snake.

“What’s here?”

“Court date for the Reigns’ case.”

Xavier grabbed the opened envelope and pulled out the paper. As he read, Alicia continued to rant.

“Just a date and time. Couldn’t be bothered to put everyone out of their misery and give the decision. **NO** , let’s drag it out so the judge can grandstand!”

“Now, Alicia, we **like** Judge Cena,” Xavier pointed out. “He’s not going to do Heyman any favors.”

“Doesn’t mean he’s going to do **you** any favors,” Alicia hissed as she stalked out of the office.

Xavier flinched when the door slammed behind her. He glanced at his beloved trombone in the corner of his office. “Maybe AJ’s right, Francesca. Switching to decaf’s not a bad idea.”

Sighing, he picked up the phone and called Bayley.

 

Bayley took several deep breaths after her conversation with Xavier. She quickly sent a text to Shane, then walked to the back deck where Roman sat watching the boys and Yorkie run around the back yard.

Roman glanced up as she sat down next to him. “What?” Her expression scared him.

“That was Xavier,” Bayley quietly explained. “We have a Court date on the 28th at 10am.”

Roman’s grey eyes flashed to where the boys were chasing Yorkie around the swing set. “The 28th,” he whispered. “Not even two weeks.”

“Roman, please, you can’t start thinking like that,” Bayley pleaded.

“Start?” Roman glanced at his wife. “I can’t **stop** thinking about it!”

Bayley gripped Roman’s hand hard within hers. “What do we tell Dean?”

“Nothing,” Roman flatly answered. “Xavier’s preparing a petition in case the ruling in against us to prevent Dean from being removed while we go through the adoption process again. He’s going to have Jericho and Kofi there to support that petition. Styles said the officer who actually removed Dean from that hellhole offered to help.” He saw Bayley’s look of surprise. “Ever since the trip to the Space Center, I can’t keep from thinking what we need to do in case we lose this case.”

“Dean will be in school,” Bayley realized. “They could take him from there…in front of Seth.”

“Then they won’t be in school,” Roman decided. “Sasha can take them that day. Keep them on the move as much as possible.”

Bayley looked at him in surprise. “What are you saying, Roman?”

Roman gently squeezed her hand. “I’m saying we fight. We fight for Dean and for our family. Any way we have to.”

Bayley nodded and squeezed his hand in return. “With everything we have.”

 

**_‘Shane. Court date is the 28th at 10am. We’ll know if the adoption is good or not. Bayley’_ **

__

__

Shane studied the message on his phone for several minutes then walked into the kitchen where Becky was making breakfast. “Just got a text from Bayley. They go back to Court on the 28th.”

Becky closely looked at Shane. “Oh, God…if it goes bad…” She leaned against the counter.

“Court? What goes bad?”

Shane shook his head then looked over his shoulder at his two children. “You two realize it’s not nice to eavesdrop, don’t you?” The looks he got from his children were completely unrepentant. “Nothing’s gone bad. Aunt Bayley just let me know they go back to Court on the 28th.”

“They’re going to take Dean away?” Finn snarled.

“Bloody wankers can’t do that!” Paige howled.

“Calm down!” Becky sternly ordered. “We don’t know that. All we know is they’re going back to Court for the Judge’s decision.”

Paige put her hands on her hips. “What are we gonna do?” she demanded.

“We…that is the two of you…aren’t going to do anything,” Shane firmly replied. “If your mother can get me on a flight to Pensacola in such short notice, I’ll be there to go to Court with them.”

“But we…”

“Dean doesn’t know, remember?” Shane interrupted. “The two of you showing up, spitting fire and brimstone, would give it away.”

Finn grimaced. “Yeah,” he admitted. “Dean doesn’t need to know.”

Paige looked both indignant and disappointed. “They’re still bloody wankers,” she muttered.

“Exactly,” Shane agreed. “Go finish getting dressed.” He turned to Becky as they walked back down the hallway. “Can you get me there in time?”

“Should be able to do that,” Becky agreed. “Problem will be cost?”

“Fuck the cost,” Shane grunted. “Get me there by the 26th.”

Becky gave him a mock salute and turned back to finish fixing breakfast.

It was in the middle of breakfast idly listening to Paige and Finn squabble about something that he suddenly remembered the connection between Regal and Heyman. He made a mental note to stop at the safety deposit box at their bank.

 

A little over a week later, Bray sat smiling in Cubicle #1 as Nikki entered the room. “My sister,” he greeted when they picked up their phones. “You look well. You’re eating properly now?”

“Yes, Brother Bray,” Nikki shyly replied. “And working.”

“Good! Very good!” Bray saw the guard begin to walk away to check on the other prisoners. He idly tapped his ear, smiling when Nikki nodded in understanding. “You are to be congratulated, Sister Nikki. You’ve made good decisions.”

“Thank you, Brother Bray,” Nikki replied. “It’s been easier than I thought.”

“It’s always easy at first,” Bray reminded her. “But then it gets harder.”

“I can do it,” Nikki promised.

“The little lamb must not be lost and must be protected from the ravenous wolf,” Bray solemnly intoned. “You know what you have to do, Sister Nikki.”

Nikki nodded as the guard returned. “I do. I promise, Brother Bray.”

Bray smiled and relaxed. “I know you do, Sister Nikki. You have a chance a having much in this life. I believe in you.”

 

Two days later, Bayley was coming down the stairs when she heard the doorbell ring. Yorkie ran barking towards the door even as Bayley called him back. With the boys at school and Roman at work, Bayley cautiously peeked through the window. Startled, she pulled Yorkie to one side and flung open the door.

“ **SHANE!** ”

Shane wearily smiled. “Hi, Sis. Can I crash on your couch?”

Bayley grabbed her brother who dropped his suitcase to the ground. “Oh, Shane…Shane…you’re here.” She hugged him tightly.

“Of course, I am,” he murmured, holding her gently. After a few moments, he joked, “Mind if I come in?”

“Oh, gosh! Yes!” Flushed, Bayley stepped aside.

Shane put his suitcase inside the door when Bayley closed it behind him. He grinned down at the small dog sniffing his shoes. “This must be Yorkie.”

Bayley grinned and picked him up. “Be nice, Yorkie.” She hugged the dog then put him down. Yorkie looked up at Shane for a few seconds then trotted into the kitchen and his food bowl.

“Come on, sit down.” Shane took his sister’s hand and led her to the couch.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” Bayley demanded.

Shane shrugged. “Thought it would be a surprise. And I didn’t want you worrying in case I got delayed somewhere along the way.” He grinned. “Becky sends her love and prayers.” He glanced around. “The boys are in school?”

Bayley nodded. “I need to leave in about 15 minutes to get them.”

“Well, then I can tell you that Paige and Finn are completely up in arms about this whole thing,” his dark eyes twinkled. “They wanted to come with me, but I was afraid I’d have to bail them out of Juvie Hall. Paige especially.”

“Awww, thank them for us,” Bayley smiled. 

“And how are you and little April Joy?” Shane asked. “Becky’s in love with that name, by the way.”

“We’re good. We’ll be better when this is over,” Bayley admitted. “I try to keep calm. We all do for both the baby and the boys. But…it’s hard sometimes, Shane.”

Shane squeezed her hand. “So, give me a few minutes to change and freshen up, and I’ll go with you to get the boys from school. Give them a surprise.”

 

Dean and Enzo closely watched as Alexa walked toward Seth who immediately wedged himself in between Dean and Enzo.

“Hi, Seth,” Alexa smiled.

“Hi, Ale…*hiccup*..xa…” Seth watched with wide eyes as she walked back to where Nia and Asuka were sitting. Seconds later, Nia laughed and Asuka gave them a grin.

“I think she likes you,” Enzo confided.

Dean snickered then saw his Mommy walk into the lunchroom with…” **UNCLE SHANE!** ” Dean jumped up from the table and ran across the room, followed by Seth.

“Hey, guys! Surprise!” Shane easily caught both boys in his arms and hugged them.

Bayley laughed and nodded as Daniel approached them.

“Guys, I know you’re really excited; but remember, we don’t run and yell inside the building,” Daniel cheerfully reminded them.

“We’re sorry,” Seth apologized.

“It’s our Uncle Shane. From Aust…tr…”

“Australia,” Shane explained. “I’m Bayley’s brother, Shane McMahon.” He released the boys and shook Daniel’s hand.

“This is Daniel Bryan, the principal,” Bayley introduced.

“Nice to meet you,” Daniel greeted. “Don’t have the Aussie accent yet?”

“Managed to avoid it so far,” Shane admitted with a grin. “My daughter sounds half Aussie-half Irish-part Brit while my son sounds mostly Irish. Their mother is from Ireland, and we live in an ex-Pat community.”

“Uncle Shane, did Aunt Becky come? And Finn?” Dean eagerly asked.

“And Paige too?” Seth looked up at his Uncle.

“Unfortunately, no. I came to take care of some business, and they couldn’t come.” Shane shook his head. “But we can FaceTime them while I’m here.”

“Dean, Seth, get your backpacks so we can go,” Bayley urged. When they walked back to the table, she turned to Daniel. “Both Dean and Seth will be out of school on the 28th. We go back to Court that day.”

Daniel grimly nodded. “Text me what happens, and I’ll make sure their teacher is advised.” He gently squeezed Bayley’s hand. “And Charlotte told me to tell you that she would personally appear in Court if you need her. So will I.”

“Thank you,” Bayley smiled. “Hopefully it won’t be necessary.” Daniel smiled and walked away as Dean and Seth returned with their friends.

“Uncle Shane, this is Enzo and Asuka and Nia and Alexa,” Dean said. “This is our Uncle Shane from Aust..ra…la.” 

“Close enough,” Shane laughed. “It’s very nice to meet all of you.” He saw Alexa begin to take Seth’s hand. Seth quickly edged closer to take his hand. He also the smirk on the other children’s faces.

They said their good-byes and started walking out. Bayley saw Cass walking in and stopped to introduce Shane to him and to let him know Shane would be escorting her to their car. 

“Mommy, do I have to go to Dr. Kofi’s tomorrow?” Dean asked. “Uncle Shane’s here.”

“Actually, Dr. Kofi called and said something came up and since you’re doing so well, you could skip tomorrow,” Bayley explained.

“Yeah!” Dean cheered. Then he pointed. “That’s Alexa’s Mommy.”

She noticed the lovely woman who waved to Bayley. As Bayley waved back, Shane glanced down at Seth. “So, Seth, is Alexa your girlfriend?” he asked.

“Yep!” Dean laughingly answered.

“No!” Seth firmly denied. 

“Alexa kissed Seth, Uncle Shane,” Dean confided. “On the cheek!”

Shane sympathetically squeezed Seth’s hand when the boy hiccupped.

 

Shane carefully rose from Dean’s bed. He laid down with Dean to see the stars and ‘Sagi’. But now both boys were asleep. Yorkie raised his head as Shane quietly left the room, then settled back down. 

Shane softly closed the door behind him and walked downstairs where Roman and Bayley sat curled together on the couch.

“Shane, are you sure the other couch is going to be okay for you?” Roman asked.

“Perfectly fine,” Shane nodded. “I rarely sleep more than a few hours a time anyway.” He glanced at his watch. “I promised to meet up with somebody. He couldn’t get free until about now. I’ll only be about an hour…maybe hour and a half. Will you guys still be up?”

Roman got to his feet. “Let me get you an extra key, and I’ll show you the alarm system. Just come back when you’re ready.”

“Shane, you’ve had a long day,” Bayley protested.

Shane kissed his sister’s forehead. “And I’m still wired from the time difference. I won’t be long.”

“Here you go.” Roman gave Shane the key to the house. “You want to borrow my car?”

Shane shook his head. “I’ve got the rental.” He kissed Bayley again. “I won’t be long, but if I’m not back before you guys go to bed, I’ll see you in the morning.”

 

Shane slowly drove across town and along the beachfront. He carefully gathered his thoughts. He could make no mistake in what was to come. He knew he held all the cards. But misplaying those cards could take that power away from him. And that could cost his sister everything.

Shane stopped at the gates to the mansion where his parents lived. He pressed the button and spoke into the speaker. “This is Shane McMahon. I’m here to see my father.”

Seconds later, the gates opened; and Shane drove up to his childhood home. By the time he parked and walked to the front door, a man he didn’t recognize was waiting in the open doorway.

“Mr. McMahon, welcome home. Mr. McMahon asked that I escort you to the library.”

Shane briefly smiled and nodded. He followed the man, his eyes casually flickering back and forth noticing the differences in the décor since the last time he’d been in the house.

Inside the library, Vince waited by a bookcase while Linda stepped forward. “Shane. Oh, Shane, it’s wonderful to see you again.”

Shane smiled and hugged his mother. “It’s good to see you, Mom. You look great.” He heard the library door softly close and turned to Vince. “Dad.”

“Shane.” Vince nodded. “Did your family come with you?”

“No. I came here on business,” Shane answered. He kissed his mother’s forehead and stepped away.

“What sort of business?” Vince asked, showing a measure of curiosity.

“Do you need to talk business?” Linda protested. “Shane just got here. I’ll have your room prepared.”

“I’m not staying.” Shane turned and kissed his mother again. “I love you, Mom. But this business is between Dad and me. It’s up to him to tell you if he wants.”

“But…” Linda looked at Vince and Shane saw something change in her eyes. “If that’s what you want.” She kissed Shane on the cheek and left the room. This time the door closed more firmly.

“Since you’re not staying here, I presume you’re staying with Bayley.” Vince walked to the liquor cabinet and poured himself a glass of Scotch. He didn’t offer a drink to Shane.

“You presume correctly.” Shane grinned to himself.

“Stephanie would like to see you,” Vince remarked, sipping the liquid.

“Stephanie would like to see me return to Australia,” Shane wryly responded. “Which I will be doing.”

Vince gave him a cold look. “Why are you here?”

“To make sure you leave Bayley and her family alone for good,” Shane explained.

“Obviously, you haven’t been kept informed,” Vince snorted. “Bayley has cut herself and her family out of our lives.”

“Oh, I know all about that. Any why she did it,” Shane assured him. “But I know you’re behind this court case to nullify Dean’s adoption.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Vince shook his head. “You don’t know anything.”

“I know about you, Regal, and Heyman,” Shane calmly reminded him. “Remember, Dad? Before I left? You needed a rather large sum of money. Money that you didn’t want Mom to know how it was spent? Money you sure as hell didn’t was Stephanie or Hunter to know where it was going?” He stepped closer to Vince. “Remember the money I loaned to you? For a transaction you didn’t want to be associated with you in any way? A transaction that Regal got his friend Heyman to handle for you up in Philadelphia?” 

“And that loan was repaid!” Vince snapped.

“Yes, it was,” Shane nodded. “And certain documents were returned to you. But I’m betting you didn’t even look at them, did you? You were so glad to get those documents back into your possession, I bet you didn’t even look at them before you…what?...burned them?”

“What are you talking about?” Vince angrily demanded.

“Those documents were copies,” Shane explained. “I kept the originals.”

“You bastard!” Vince shouted. He stepped forward only to have Shane take a step towards him.

“Well, I **am** your son, Dad,” Shane pointed out. “You taught me never to give up an advantage. So why would I give up an advantage to you?”

Vince snarled under his breath.

“What’s puzzling is why Dean’s birth mother would have an attorney she couldn’t afford who’s not known to do pro bono work? Connect Heyman to Regal and Regal to you. When Bayley cut you guys out of her life, you decided to eliminate the competition…Roman. Best way to do that was break up Bayley’s marriage. How to do that? Well, from what I understand you never liked Dean. So, you, or rather, Regal did some digging and found out Dean’s birth mother was getting released from prison. Take Dean away from the family and maybe the marriage falls apart. Kind of a two-for-one deal.” Shane smirked. “How close am I, Dad? Heyman does the deed and gets paid in a roundabout way just like he did six years ago. And nobody’s the wiser. After all, who would know or maybe even be able to find out that Heyman spent time in England as a young law student and interned at the same firm in London as William Regal? Oh, wait…I know that. Because I saw Heyman’s name all over those documents I have, and I did a little digging of my own.”

“So, this is how it’s going to go, Dad,” Shane ordered. “You’re going to leave Bayley and her family alone. And if Stephanie or Hunter try to do anything to them, you’re going to stop it. Quickly. Firmly. And with extreme prejudice if necessary.” He got in Vince’s face. “Because if you don’t, the documents I have…the **original** documents will be given to people who would be very interested in them.”

“You won’t do that,” Vince argued. “You’d put yourself in the position of having concealed certain facts.”

“True,” Shane nodded. “Think I haven’t thought of that? Think I’ve not taken certain precautions?” He grinned. “And who’s to say my name would ever be connected to their release?” He paused, watching Vince digest his statement. He nodded. “I think we understand each other, don’t we?”

“How could you turn on your own family? How could you do this?” Vince furiously demanded.

“Because I’m your son,” Shane quietly answered. “You’re willing to sacrifice your daughter’s family and happiness for your own selfish reasons.” He shrugged. “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. I can use the same weapons that you use.”

“Get out,” Vince hissed. “And don’t ever come back.”

“Don’t make me come back. Because I will if necessary,” Shane warned.

“You’ll get nothing!” Vince raged. “You hear me? Nothing at all! Ever!”

Shane paused before opening the door. “You don’t have anything I want, Dad. Maybe you’ll understand that now.”

 

Half an hour later, Seth sat in the parking lot of a still-open Taco Bell. He sat quietly for several minutes, then pulled out his phone and pressed a button on his contact list. When the call was answered by someone groggy with sleep, he smiled.

“Hi, Babe. I love you so much. And I just need to hear your voice.”

 

The next day, Nikki shyly approached Catherine as they started to leave the spa. “Catherine, are you doing anything tonight?”

“I have to be back at the half-way house by 9pm,” Catherine explained. “I thought I might go to a movie. I haven’t been to one in so long.”

“I was wondering if you’d like to come to my place for dinner. It’s…it’s my birthday, you see.” Nikki stammered. “And none of my family can come. I’m…there’s no one to celebrate with. I…made a cake.”

“Happy Birthday, Nikki,” Catherine smiled. She hesitated then nodded. “I’d love to go with you.”

Nikki happily smiled.

 

The next morning you could feel the tension in the dining hall. The guards anxiously eyed each other. Something was brewing. They could feel it in the air. They could see in the eyes of some of the prisoners.

Then several fights broke out. Outnumbered, the guards began backed out of the dining hall calling for a lockdown.

Bray and his brothers quickly surrounded Jerry Ambrose and pulled him to one corner.

“What the hell?!” Ambrose snarled. He tried to swing at Bray, but Strowman and Harper grabbed him. Rowan kept a wary eye on the fighting around them. 

“You’re a poor pathetic excuse for a man,” Bray calmly said. “You’re a brave man when hitting a baby, aren’t you, Mr. Ambrose? Or when you put whiskey and a sleeping pill into the baby’s bottle.”

Angrily, Rowan spun around and buried his fist into Ambrose’s stomach.

Ambrose groaned and sagged but the two men held him up.

“It’s Judgement Day, Mr. Ambrose,” Bray chortled. “And I am your Judge. And my brothers are your Executioners.” He nodded to the others. “The ravenous wolf will never harm the little lamb again.”

Ambrose screamed as he was dragged into a dark corner. A scream that was just one of many heard in the dining hall.

On the other side of the dining hall, James Ellsworth shivered in fear when he was dragged to Brock Lesnar.

“Tell me the truth, James,” Lesnar calmly spoke. “You know I don’t like to be lied to. And you have one chance. Now, did you tell anyone about that shipment coming in?”

“Brock…” Ellsworth whined. “I had to. I can’t stay in here. I’m…it’s making me crazy. They said they’d get me out…shorten my sentence…send me somewhere else…please…Brock…please.”

“It’s okay,” Lesnar nodded. “I know how the guards and others twist things around. They manipulate people. I understand.”

“Thank you, Brock…I swear never again…never.”

“I know you won’t,” Lesnar nodded.

Ellsworth felt something slide around his throat and then tighten. He was so scared he barely fought back.

 

The next morning, Chris Jericho and Kofi Kingston waiting outside the Family Court courtroom when Roman, Bailey and Shane arrived.

“Shane, this is Dean’s therapist, Dr. Kofi Kingston,” Roman introduced. “He’s worked wonders with Dean’s nightmares. Kofi, this is Bayley’s brother, Shane McMahon.”

“Dean’s done the work, and so has his family with their understanding and support,” Kofi smiled.

“I’m glad you’re able to help him.” Shane shook his hand.

“This is Chris Jericho, from Social Services,” Roman introduced. “He was the caseworker for Dean’s adoption.”

Shane shook Chris’ hand. “Are you here in case the decision is against my sister?” he bluntly asked.

Chris half-smiled. “Social Services and I stand by our decision that Dean was adopted properly and into a good home. We intend to fight for that. I’m here to prevent any attempt to remove Dean from his home if the decision isn’t favorable.”

Shane relaxed. “Good. Thanks.” He turned as they were joined by two men and a woman.

“Bayley, you look great!” Alicia gave Bayley a hug. Privately, she was worried. In her opinion, Bayley looked overstressed and overtired.

“I look horrible. Little April Joy kept me up last night,” Bayley ruefully admitted. “And my appetite’s been off the last day or two. Nerves, I guess.” She motioned to Shane. “This is my brother, Shane McMahon. Shane, this is Alicia Fox. She works for Xavier Woods, our attorney. And this is Xavier’s investigator, A. J. Styles.”

Shane greeted them, grinning when Styles stepped closer to Bayley. “April Joy, huh? Another AJ?”

Bayley suddenly laughed, then grimaced.

“Bayley, are you okay?” Roman wrapped an arm around her.

“Little April Joy just gave a vicious kick,” Bayley frowned.

“Well, that proves she’s related to my daughter,” Shane deliberately joked. “Paige’s first option is usually to either kick or punch.”

“Feisty, huh?” Styles asked, playing along.

“I think her brother’s ambition to go to Mars is based a lot on getting away from her,” Shane nodded.

As they entered the courtroom, Shane exchanged a worried look with Roman.

As they sat down, Xavier glance dover to the opposing counsel’s table to see Heyman sitting alone. Not thinking much about it, he glanced at the clock and saw they still had five minutes before court would be called to order.

Roman kept an arm around Bayley’s shoulders but also glanced at the clock. _‘Sasha’s got the boys at JumpLand by now. She’ll keep them on the move until we call.’_

Xavier turned to whisper to Alicia. “Go check the women’s restroom. See if Heyman’s client is in there.”

Alicia nodded and quickly exited the courtroom.

“You think she’s not showing?” Roman quietly asked as Styles leaned forward.

“She may be in the women’s restroom,” Xavier shrugged. “Alicia’s gone to check. But something’s got Heyman nervous.”  
Shane frowned as he reached out and gently rubbed Bayley’s shoulder.

A few minutes later, Alicia quickly walked back into the courtroom followed by Kurt Angle who sat next to Jericho.

As Alicia took her seat, she murmured, “She wasn’t in the restroom. I even checked the one at the far end of the hall by the elevators. Not there either. But just as I got back here, I saw Barrett getting off the elevators. Alone.”

“Who’s Barrett?” Shane asked.

“He’s a…”

“He’s Heyman’s investigator.” Xavier quickly cut off Alicia’s rant. “He normally doesn’t come to court unless it’s to testify. And there’s no reason he should be testifying in this case.”

“All rise.”

Startled by the sudden order, everyone rose to their feet as Judge John Cena entered the courtroom.

“Be seated.” Cena scanned the courtroom. “We are present today for both the plaintiff and respondent to hear my ruling in the matter of the validity of the adoption of the minor child Dean Ambrose Reigns.” He leaned forward. “Let the record reflect that also present is Mr. Kurt Angle of Social Services. Mr. Woods, I see two other individuals also present. Who are they?”

Jericho stood. “Chris Jericho, Your Honor. From Social Services. I’m the caseworker for this adoption.”

Cena silently nodded.

Kofi stood. “Dr. Kofi Kingston, Your Honor.”

Cena’s eyes flickered to Bayley, and he nodded.

Kofi sat down with a mental shrug. It wasn’t his place to correct any assumption the Judge might have.

“Mr. Heyman, I notice the absence of your client.” Cena fixed his blue eyes on Heyman. “Do you have an explanation?”

Just then, the door to the courtroom opened. The bailiff stepped forward as Wade Barrett entered.

“Forgive the intrusion, Your Honor,” Barrett spoke. “I’m Wade Barrett, an investigator for Mr. Heyman. And I have some pertinent information regarding this matter that I need to give to Mr. Heyman.”

Cena motioned him forward as the bailiff stepped back.

Styles was startled when Alicia hissed like a snake when Barrett passed them on his way to talk with Heyman. _‘I don’t know why she hates Barrett like that…and I’m not sure I even **want** to know.’_

Xavier curiously watched as Barrett quietly spoke to Heyman. He saw the shock on Heyman’s face. Turning, he saw the confused expression on both Bayley and Roman’s faces. “Be calm,” Xavier whispered. “There’s a reason his client isn’t here, and Heyman doesn’t look happy about it.”

“Mr. Heyman?” Cena prodded.

“Your Honor, we…we request a bench conference.”

Cena motioned both attorneys to the bench.

“Your Honor…” Heyman took a deep breath. “I’ve just been informed by my investigator that my client was…was found murdered in the early hours of this morning.”

Xavier’s dark eyes widened. “What?” he muttered.

“I…” Heyman took a deep breath. “I was to meet my client at 9am this morning. When she didn’t show up or answer her phone, I contacted my investigator, Mr. Barrett, to begin searching for her. While searching, he checked with the police department to see if she’d been arrested or taken to a hospital and was told of her…death.”

“No disrespect, Mr. Heyman, but I will need to confirm this myself,” Cena pointed out. He stood. “Court is temporarily adjourned. Everyone, please remain in the courtroom.”

Heyman walked back to his table and began talking with Barrett.

Xavier slowly turned and motioned everyone to meet him next to the empty jury box. When they’d gathered, he quickly spoke. “Heyman said that his client was found murdered this morning.” Talking over their reactions, he continued. “When she didn’t make her appointment with him this morning, he sent Barrett out looking for her. Apparently, when he couldn’t find her, Barrett checked with someone in the PD and was told she’d been found murdered early this morning.”

“She was living in a half-way house,” Styles recalled. “When she didn’t make curfew, they would have notified her parole officer.”

Xavier nodded. “That may be why they found her so quickly. They were already looking for her.”

Bayley gasped and put a hand over her stomach.

“Bayley!” Both Roman and Shane wrapped arms around her.

Bayley forced a smile. “Seriously, April Joy, a victory dance is a little inappropriate.” She took a deep breath. “I really need to sit down.”

They all returned to their table. The bailiff brought Bayley a glass of water and set it in front of her with a smile.

“Thank you,” Roman said.

The bailiff nodded and returned to his position.

“Sis, why don’t you let me take you home?” Shane suggested.

Bayley sipped the water and shook her head. “I need to stay. It would be worse if I wasn’t here.”

Roman kissed her temple. “Just…don’t…”

Bayley squeezed his hand. 

Shane looked like he wanted to say something but just continued to rub his sister’s shoulder.

“What does this mean? For us? Dean?” Roman demanded.

“Heyman’s client is dead,” Xavier reasoned. “Sorry to be blunt, but that’s the fact. She was the one wanting the adoption reversed.”

“Then…that’s it? This is over?” Roman hopefully asked.

Xavier put a hand on his arm. “I think so. But until Judge Cena rules…”

“All rise.”

Cena returned to the courtroom and sat down. “Court is again in session. I’ve confirmed the information that Mr. Heyman provided. Catherine Ambrose was found by members of the Pensacola Beach PD at 2:17am this morning. It’s considered a homicide case.” He looked at everyone then continued. “Mr. Jericho, please take the stand.”

“Your Honor…”

“The Court is calling a witness as is my privilege, Mr. Heyman. You may object to any question I ask, and I will so rule.”

Heyman sat down as Jericho was sworn in.

“Mr. Jericho, you were the caseworker for the Ambrose/Reigns adoption, correct?”

“Yes, sir.” Jericho turned to face the Judge.

“In the process of this adoption, did you investigate to see if there were any other family members of either birth parents who would be willing to take the child?” Cena asked.

“Yes, that’s standard procedure,” Jericho answered. “We couldn’t find Jerry Ambrose’s father. Apparently, he dumped his wife and kid when Jerry was about ten years old. We found his mother who said she wanted nothing to do with either Jerry or his brat. Her words; not mine. She was terrified of Jerry and made me promise not to reveal her whereabouts. She signed an affidavit waiving any rights to her grandson. We found no record of any brothers or sisters.”

“What about Mr. Heyman’s client? Catherine Drew Ambrose?”

“Catherine Ambrose’s parents died when she was eleven. She was placed in various foster homes until she was eighteen,” Jericho recalled. “She had an older sister that we were able to track down. She’d been placed in different foster homes than her sister. However, she said she was having enough trouble with her own marriage and life and didn’t need more trouble. She also waived any rights to Dean.”

Cena looked to Heyman. “Mr. Heyman, any questions for this witness?”

“No, Your Honor,” Heyman wearily replied.

“Mr. Woods?”

“None, Your Honor,” Xavier answered.

“Thank you, Mr. Jericho. You may step down.” As Jericho returned to his seat, Cena continued. “The matter before this Court is the validity of the adoption of the minor child, Dean Ambrose Reigns. The death of Catherine Drew Ambrose changes this procedure. She can no longer be considered a parent or guardian for the child. That, however, does not change the Court’s decision. The adoption of Dean Ambrose Reigns is considered valid, and that is the ruling I intended to make today before we received the news about Mr. Heyman’s client.”

Roman pulled Bayley into his arms as Shane embraced them both from behind.

“My questions for Mr. Jericho were to determine if anyone else was to step forward for the same reason,” Cena explained. “It appears not. Therefore, I’m convinced this decision is the correct one and have no problem in making it official. Mr. and Mrs. Reigns, Dean is legally your son. He has been for the past four years and that will not change. Congratulations. Court is adjourned.”

Cena brought down his gavel, stood and left the courtroom.

Heyman and Barrett quickly left the courtroom.

Styles slapped Xavier on the back in congratulations. “Good job, boss.” He lowered his voice. “Guess I don’t need that bail money for Alicia.”

“I’d hold onto it,” Xavier grinned. “There’s always next time.”

Styles chuckled.

Kofi shook Roman’s hand. “I’ll see Dean next week,” he said. “You guys just relax and enjoy this week.”

Roman nodded with a relieved look on his face. He then turned to Jericho. “Thank you. I can’t…I can’t say it enough.”

Jericho smiled and shook his hand. “This is one we were going to fight to the end,” he explained. “If this adoption wasn’t a good one, then none of them are.”

“We’re glad it was settled this easily,” Kurt added. He glanced at the empty Judge’s bench. “And from what Judge Cena said, very definitively.”

“Thank you again.”

Kurt nudged Chris as they left. “Today’s a good day. You made it happen.”

Chris shrugged. “That testimony was easy.”

“You made it happen years ago when you videotaped that deposition,” Kurt pointed out.

Roman sighed as the two men left the courtroom. As he turned around, Alicia was helping Bayley stand. 

“We’re going to the ladies’ room. We’ll be back,” Alicia said as they walked out.

Roman pulled Xavier into a hug. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Xavier hugged him back. “My pleasure. And you heard the Judge. We had this one won even if Heyman’s client had shown up.”

“Do you think the cops will look at Roman and Bayley as suspects?” Shane asked. He saw Roman’s startled look but shrugged. The question needed to be asked.

“You’ll probably be questioned at some point,” Styles admitted as they began to leave the courtroom. “But she’s a former junkie. I imagine that’s where they’re going to be focusing their investigation.”

They stood in the hallway for a few moments before Alicia and Bayley walked out of the restroom, Alicia supporting Bayley.

“Bayley!” Roman ran to his wife, Shane on his heels.

“We need to get her to the hospital!” Alicia snapped. “She’s been having pains since yesterday, and her water just broke!” When they all froze, she screeched, “ **Don’t just stand there! Move! She’s in labor and going to have a baby!** ”


End file.
